Time teaching device



March 26, 1963 A. cuRcl TIME TEACHING DEVICE Filed Nov. 19, 1959 |I l .01 m I a HL :5 w. 9 1 2 w a 9 2 3 3 2 4. w. n a 5 5 Z 9 Z INVENTOR Alfred C'urci ATTORNEY United States Patent This invention relates to a time announcing device basically consisting of a reproducible sound record'and certain elements of a time clock whereby reproduction of appropriate musical and vocal rhymes accompanied with tic-toe sound effects, is arranged to synchronize with the rotational movement of the time indicating members as they sweep the face of the clock and sequentially announce each hour as it is indicated on the dial of the clock. v

The prime object of this invention is to provide an inexpensive, ornamental, entertaining, and educational device, whereby a child will be entertained while readily learning to tell time by listening and watching the rotating hands indicating time while simultaneously it is announced vocally.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of the talking clock device with parts'broken away to expose the related elements more clearly.

- FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1 showing the gear train, frame, and outer casing in section. I

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the device preferably consists of a plastic open top, box like outer casing 1 fixedly secured to, or integral with a hollow pedestal 2 disposed to house two flashlight batteries 3 and 4, which supply motive energy to electric drive motor 5 (wiring and switch arrangement not shown). A conventional clock face 6 preferably of transparent plastic is fixedly secured to the forward face of the outer casing 1 and to thelower portion of the pedestal 2. Sturdy plastic hour and minute hands 7 and 8 are arranged in convention-a1 fashion on the face 6 of the clock. A. removable plastic transparent dome 10 has fixedly secured to or integral with its rearward edge a latticed plastic structure 11. The latticing permits free and undampened sound emission.

. Resiliently supported within the casing 1 is frame 12. Resilient'frame supports (one is clearly seen in FIG. 2 of the drawings) consists of four rubber grommets 13 whichare perforated being adapted for reception of corresponding posts14 formed on said casing 1. The grommets have a reduced central portion to facilitate insertion into the four corresponding key-hole like slots 15 blanked out substantially in each corner of the frame 12. It will be noted in the drawings that the aforementioned posts 14 are horizontally disposed at the front and the two rear posts are upstanding or vertical; this arrangement facilitates passing the projecting minute arbor 16 through the central perforation 17 of the dial or face 6.

Referring again to the drawings, it will be noted that electric motor 5 (shown removed from the mechanism) is adapted to be mounted for rocking movement by inserting motor trunnions 18 through corresponding perforation in the rubber grommets 19 which are keyed to perforations of brackets 19a formed on frame 12. Said described means of supporting and mounting both frame 12 and motor 5 in resilient cushions effectively serves to dampen the motor vibrations.

The turntable 20 is preferably of plastic, its periphery is rimmed with a rubber band 21. Fixed centrally to said turntable 20 is vertical shaft 22 which is journaled to a perforation of frame 12 at its upper portion, the lower end passes through a perforation of bracket 23 3,082,544 Patented Mar. 26, 1963 which is fixedly secured on frame 12. The said shaft 22 is rotatively secured in assembled relation by a snaplock horseshoe fastener inserted in annular groove 24 formed on the lower extremity of shaft 22 (snap lock not shown).

The aforementioned electric motor 5 is yieldingly held in frictional contact with the rubberized periphery of the turntable 20 by spring means (not shown) whereby energizing motor 5 by suitable means, turntable 20 and its fixed shaft 22 rotate.

Substantially intermediate its extremities, the turntable shaft 22 is provided with worm 22a adapted to mesh with, and rotate gear 25. Said gear 25 is fixed on, and rotates with minute arbor 16. The forward extremity of the minute arbor '16 passes through perforation of dial 17. Shaft 22 at its outward extremity terminates in a reduced section threaded for reception ofnut 33 which locks the long or minute hand 8 in slip-friction engagement on arbor 16 (to be described later). The hour gear 26 is fixed on a barrel or sleeve 27 and is revolubly mounted on arbor 16. The outer extremity of sleeve 27 terminates in a reduced section and carries the hour or short hand 7 in slip-friction engagement. The hour reduction gears 28 and 29 respectively, are fixed on and rotate with arbor 30. In the drawings it will be noted that the arbors 16 and 30 are journaled at the forward end in apertures of frame 12, while the rearward extremities of said arbors 16 and 30 terminate in 'reduced sections journaled to suitable apertures of the L-shaped bracket 23. Said bracket 23 is fixed on and depends from frame 12. A spring snap-lock type washer 16a inserted in an annular groove of arbor 16 retains said arbor and hour gear 26 in assembled relation.

In this present invention the gear 25 fixed on minute arbor '16 preferably is formed with 10 teeth, and its coacting worm 22a fixed on turntable shaft 22 is driven at78' r.p.m. whereby the minute hand.8 and arbor 16 revolves one complete 360 degree circle in 7.8 seconds making a total of 93.6 seconds for twelve revolutions of the minute hand 8 in which time the hour hand 7 and hour gear 26 will have revolved in a 360 degree circle to advance the hour hand 7 twelve hours. 1

The operation of the previously mentioned hour gear 26 in coaction with its related reduction gears is well known in the art of clock making, and in this case, is substantially the same with one important exception, that is, that the train of gears is driven by the rotational move ment of turntable 20. A reproducible record 20a is carried on said turntable, and in this case, has 93.6 seconds of sound grooves, consequently, when the sound is reproduced by suitable means, the 93.6 seconds of sound thereby'coincides with the 93.6 seconds required to rotate the minute hand 8 twelve revolutions, which constitutes one cycle, whereupon, drive motor 5 is deenergized (to be explained later) terminating both sound and rotation of the time indicators.

As previously mentioned, the hour and minute hands are mounted on their respective arbors in slip-friction engagement. And to this end, the minute hand 8 cmbraces arbor 16 with a close, but not tight fit. The hour hand 7 has fixed within its central perfortion, a split, barrel like spring 31 to frictionally grip hour arbor or sleeve 27. Interposed between hands 7 and 8 is spring concave washer 32. Nut 33 received by threaded terminal of arbor 16 compresses spring washer 32 between opposing faces of hands 7 and 8, consequently, there is fric tion enough between the spring 32 and said hands 7 and 8 so that their respective arbors will carry the hands around, but not enough to resist a moderate push with the finger for the purpose of altering the time indicated. This slip-friction arrangement is provided so that should the device he inadvertently dropped, jarring the reproducer 35 thereby altering synchronization by dislocating needle 35a on record 20a, a manual rotation of the clock-hands will restore the indicated time to coincide with the vocal time.

In FIG. 1 of the drawings, the structures indicated by numerals 3536-3738-394ti, constitute in part the means that will be incorporated in this present invention for production of sound, and includes means to restore the sound box 35 to original start position on completion of a sound cycle, and means to make and break a suitable cycling electrical circuit to the electric drive motor 5. The aforementioned are not described herein, since they are specifically claimed in my pending application Serial No. 641,124, filed Feb. 19, 1957. Because the structure is simple and inexpensive, it is contemplated incorporating the sound producing means claimed in the pending application just previously mentioned, however, it is to be understood, if desired, varied forms of mechanical or electrical sound producers may be substituted.

In the operation of this described device, a finger inserted through suitable perforation 41, provided in dome 10, engages switch means (not shown) whereby an inwardly push establishes an electrical circuit to drive motor 5 (wiring not shown) thereby rotating turnable 2% which carries sound record 20a, and simultaneously, time indicators or pointers 7 and 8 begin rotating, driven through suitable gears, which in turn, are driven by worm means 22a formed on turntable shaft 22. Sound production of record 20a, by suitable means, coincides with rotation of hands 7 and 8, whereby each hour is announced sequentially, vocally coinciding with indicated time. Preferably, a cycle starts and finishes at twelve oclock.

As previously mentioned, the means which restore the sound box to original start position on completion of a cycle, means to open the electrical circuit to motor 5, thereby terminating both sound and rotation of the time indicators, are specifically claimed in pending application Serial No. 641,124, filed Feb. 19, 1957.

Since substitutes may be made for the dial and time indicators, enabling synchronization of other appropriate sounds with suitable actions, it is to be understood, that the preferred embodiment of this invention shown in the drawings and described herein, is purely illustrative and not restrictive, therefore the appended claims are intended to cover all substitutes which fall within their scope.

I claim:

1. In a time teaching device having a frame, the combination of a simulated clock having a graduated dial, a pair of rotary time indicating members, a sound reproducing device and record supporting rotary turntable both mounted on said frame with power means for driving said turntable, and means driven by said turntable, said time indicating members being carried by said driven means in slip-friction engagement therewith such that production of vocal time announcements coincide with the movement of said rotary time indicating members. while said time indicating means may be altered manually so as to synchronize with the vocalized time.

2. In a time teaching device having a frame, the combination of a simulated clock having a graduated dial, a pair of rotary time indicating members, a sound reproducing device and record supporting rotary turntable both mounted on said frame with power means for driving said turntable, and means driven by said turntable; said time indicating members being carried by said driven means, whereby production of vocal time announcements coincide with the movement of said rotary time indicating members, said driven means comprising a member rotatable with said turntable and an arbor revolvably driven by said rotatable member, said arbor earring a gear with a sleeve fixed thereto with'said sleeve and arbor journaled to and extending through said frame, said sleeve and arbor carrying said time indicating members in slip-friction engagement such that the indicated time may be altered manually to synchronize with the vocalized time.

3. In a time teaching device, the combination of a simulated clock having a graduated dial, a pair of rotary time indicating members mounted by slip-friction means, a frame, a sound reproducing device on said frame including a turntable mounted on said frame, a bracket depending from said frame, aligned apertures in said bracket and frame arranged for journaling a turntable shaft, said turntable supporting a reproducible sound record, power drive means'to rotate said turntable to produce audible vocal time announcements, means driving the said pair of time indicating members including a train of gears driven by said turntable thereby actuating said time indicating members whereby said vocal time announcements are synchronized with time indicated .by said time indicating members, means to drive said time indicating members comprising a worm fixed on said turntable shaft, a driven worm-engaging gear fixed on an arbor, said arbor being embraced by a second revolubly mounted gear being driven through a train of reduction gears, one of which meshes with said worm engaging gear, said reduction gears being fixed on a second arbor whose opposite ends are journaled to apertures of .said frame and bracket depending from said frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,059,474 Laird Apr. 22, 1913 1,170,325 P-oposkey Feb. 1, 1916 1,445,617 Jehu' Feb. 13, 1923 1,534,068 McIntyre Apr. 21, 1925 1,975,907 Strauss Oct. 9, 1934 2,279,119 Freimann Apr. 7, 1942 2,412,061 Quidas Dec. 3, 1946 2,885,142 Eberhart May 5, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 243,061 Germany Feb. 2, 1912 

1. IN A TIME TEACHING DEVICE HAVING A FRAME, THE COMBINATION OF A SIMULATED CLOCK HAVING A GRADUATED DIAL, A PAIR OF ROTARY TIME INDICATING MEMBERS, A SOUND REPRODUCING DEVICE AND RECORD SUPPORTING ROTARY TURNTABLE BOTH MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME WITH POWER MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID TURNTABLE, AND MEANS DRIVEN BY SAID TURNTABLE, SAID TIME INDICATING MEMBERS BEING CARRIED BY SAID DRIVEN MEANS IN SLIP-FRICTION ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH SUCH THAT PRODUCTION OF VOCAL TIME ANNOUNCEMENTS COINCIDE WITH THE MOVEMENT OF SAID ROTARY TIME INDICATING MEMBERS, WHILE SAID TIME INDICATING MEANS MAY BE ALTERED MANUALLY SO AS TO SYNCHRONIZE WITH THE VOCALIZED TIME. 